I stood in the ally, pressed up against the wall. The rival gang was close, and I could hear the leader yell instructions.
"Winston!" A harsh whisper made me turn my head; Kennedy Hinton had his face out of a door to the left building. I bolted for it, and ran inside, panting.
"Damn it, Dusty! I never knew that you could be so much trouble. Didn't your brother ever teach you not to mess with the panthers?" I felt my eyes go hard as I glared up at Ken.
"Messin' with the panthers is what we did best. Besides, I told you I could take care of myself."
"That's really out in the open. Judging by the way you get yourself killed almost every day." I turned real fast and swiped at his head. But Ken was fast, and had me down on the ground in a death grip in a second.
"Hey Jeff! The screw offs are here!" Both me and Ken jumped up and circled the built guy with dark hair and ice blue eyes.
"What did you just say, Ducky?" I pinned him on the ground as Ken slammed playful punches into his gut.
"Give! I give!" Ducky rubbed his neck as he glared from me to Ken. "Geez, Ken. And man, Dusty! I never would of guessed you would of hurt your own cousin."
"Shut up." Jeff came strolling in with a beer in his hand.
"We need more bread." He looked at me like I was the chore lady.
"What? You want bread? Get your own, I'm not your maid." I stalked past him and threw my jacket on the ground.
"Hey! All the tigers are getting together tonight!" One of the guys yelled down the hall. I smiled as I put my shoulder length hair up in a ponytail.
I belonged to the tiger gang. All of the Winstons did. There where only three Winstons left back then. There was me, Dusty Winston. And then there where my two cousins, Ducky and Flick. Those aren't there real names, but we call then that because it sounds smoother. Ducky looked exactly liked me, and many mistaked him for the great Dallas Winston. Flick had the blonde hair, but didn't have the ice blue eyes. She had glassy green ones. We called her flick because she was really fast with a blade. I don't know how we got Ducky.
"I'll be there!" I came out of the room and plopped next to Ducky on the beat up couch.
"Man, I hate those panthers!" Flick came stomping in with a fresh bruise on her cheek. Then she turned to me. "I'm going to kill you, Dusty. Your such a…" She went on to call me numerous names. Jeff turned back to me.
"Dusty, you're going to get yourself killed! After saying all that crap to Jim…" Jim Bounding was the leader of the panthers. I might of said a couple of things to him earlier.
There isn't a big difference between the panthers in the tigers. Except that the panthers recruit anyone on the streets. The tigers are more exclusive. We are mostly made up of three families, and hardly anyone else gets in. Jeff and Ken where apart of the Hinton family, which had the most members. Then there were the Garrets, which had at least ten members. And last was the Winstons. Nobody would admit it, but we were slowly dying out. Which was a shame, because we were the toughest. Dally had been the leader, even though he was only ten. Now a guy named Terry Garret ran it, and we didn't exactly see eye to eye.
"Whatever. That guy just better watch what comes out of his mouth." Everybody shook their head and turned back to the T.V.
I decided the where a tight black tank top to the meeting. I also slipped into a pair of tight jeans, which I didn't do very often. I didn't take my leather jacket. Instead I rummaged through my closet, until I came across a bulky brown one with a rusty colored stain on the chest. It still smelled like him.
"It's at Joe's pub. Come on, we don't wanna be late!" Ducky was pushing us out the door, and we stumbled all over each other. "Move it!" Ducky could be pushy sometimes, and never liked being late. We speed off in the blue t-bird that Flick had hot wired the other day.
When we finally did get to the bar, the place was already hopping with hoods stalking around.
"Hey, Winston. How's it goin' man?" The tigers usually never call each other by their last names, since there are so many of them. But a few naïve new comers mistakenly call Winston's by their last name.
"Which one?" I stepped forward coolly with my arms crossed over my chest. Flick came to stand next to me.
"Really, kiddie. Which one of us where you talking to?" The kid shuffled his feet, and mumbled something quick before he took off. Me and Flick exchanged solemn glances but then joined the boys at the bar.
"Here's your beer." Jeff handed me a beer slopping over the edge with foam. His brown eyes playfully looking at me.
"What are you lookin' at?" He smiled bigger and shook his head. I knew why he was looking at me. Jeff always had a small liking for me, even though he was sixteen and a year older than me. I could easily have him as my guy. But a certain boy with incredible grey-green eyes held me back.
"Wanna go upstairs?" Jeff jerked his head at the steps. Upstairs at Joe's Pub, there where a few rooms that were considered an inn. But the only people who really used them where horny couples.
"You wish." I flipped my ponytail, which hit Jeff in the face. I slinked off into the other corner, but didn't get far before a strong hand grabbed mine.
"Why are you such a tease?" Flick glared at me with suspicion.
"What do you mean?" She rolled her eyes.
"Please, Dusty. We all know that Jeff has a certain thing for you." She looked over to the brunette on the bar stool. "The problem is, you keep him dangling."
"I do not!" I almost stomped my foot, but resisted.
"Oh, yes you do!" Flick had her hands on her hips.
"I always tell him no! How is that being a tease?" Flick looked around, then stared at her feet.
"You're right. You're not a tease." Flick jerked her head p and glared at me. "What I can't get is why you don't go with him." I felt my hand tighten around my glass as Ponyboy's face came into my mind.
"I…well…It's none of your business!" I turned in a huff and stumbled right into Terry.
"Watch it, Winston." He growled so loud that everybody could hear him. Now, the Winstons had an inside saying. Whenever anyone would call us by our last name, and if everyone herd it, we would all scream "Which one!" But nobody stood up to the leader.
"Which one?" I challenged. Nobody stood up to the leader, except me. Terry shook his head.
"You have a lot of guts, Winston. Maybe too much…" He flicked out a blade and pulled me to it, holding it across my stomach. "…just because your asshole brother was leader before doesn't mean you get to be a bitch." When he released me, I took my hand back for a punch. I couldn't take someone insulting Dallas. Before I could take it forward, a large hand grabbed mine.
"Let's go Dusty." Ken held my hand as I struggled against him.
"He called Dally an asshole! Are you going to let him get away with that?!" I was screaming now, and the room was dead quiet.
"Yes. Yes I am." He hissed it in my ear. I stopped struggling, but stood my ground. "For Christ sake, Dusty! Move!" Ken had to drag me out of the bar. My cousins refused to look at me.
The drive home was silent and unbearable. Ken opened my door and handed me a key.
"Stay here. You dig?" I nodded my head as he speed off. I only took off my sneakers to sleep. I was to depressed to take off anything else. Had I really made my family ashamed of me? I drifted off, but not without the look of disappointment on my cousin's faces.
"You know what I would do to a little broad that talked back to me?" A tough, hard voice spoke to me through the darkness. "I would break her arm." A small light was getting closer and closer to me, until a blurry built figure came into view.
"D…Dallas?" I stammered as my brother walked up to me, completely decked out in white.
"Nice jacket you got there." It really was him.
"Dally! Dallas, y…you're suppose to be dead!"
"I am. I just thought I would stop in for a little visit. Maybe to deliver a message or two."
"What?" Dallas threw his gold cigarette on the ground in frustration.
"What the hell are you doing here, Dusty?"
"I don't know. I just know that I'm asleep." Dally let out another sigh.
"No. I meant what are you doing here? In New York?" I swallowed hard.
"I couldn't stay there, Dally. I couldn't do it. I couldn't watch…"
"Couldn't watch what? Me dying out? Well here's some news for you, kiddo. It's happening here too. And the only thing that's keeping it alive is you. And you're being a total bitch about it!" Dallas paused to breathe. Or to let it sink in. "Go back to Tulsa. You're welcome's dying out here."
Dally turned to leave, but I stumbled after him. "Wait! Dallas!" I slipped, and free falled into darkness. Then I landed softly in another dark spot. And there was another glowing figure from my past standing above me.
"You're loosing him, Dusty."
"Johnny!" I jumped up, but Johnny moved a step back.
"Go back to Tulsa, before you loose Pony forever." Johnny started to evaporate.
"Wait! Wait!" I reached out into nothing, and fell again. But this time, I landed in my bed.
I didn't know if that dream was real. I didn't know if the real Dallas and Johnny came to me from the dead. I only knew what they told me. To go back to Tulsa. It didn't matter if it was all in my head. Two people that I loved told me to do something.
I quietly stood up and crept to my closet, trying to not wake Flick up. I opened my bag, and started putting my things in it. I was going to go back. I was going to Tulsa.